The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Out with the old. In with the new!
On December 24th, the R.S.P.& E. Fire Protection District, Roseville Fire Department and Roseville Area Ambulance Service received their Christmas present and moved into their new Emergency Services Building located at 571 State Highway 116, Roseville.
R.S.P.& E. Fire Protection District President Todd Adkisson stated, "This is a very proud time for us.
The completion of our new Emergency Services Building has been a lot of work and a very long time in coming, but we have finally moved into a new facility not only our fire district, but also our community can be very proud of".
This entire process started almost 5 years ago when the Board of Trustees decided the time had come to investigate a new facility to replace their current fire station, which was the old Roseville High School built between 1896 and 1942.
A building committee was formed, numerous fire stations throughout Illinois and several other states were toured and many hours of planning were involved before the actual building design started.
Once the basic concept was completed, several building locations were discussed before arriving at their current location located on the west edge of Roseville at 571 State Highway 116.
After discussing finances, a decision was made to attempt a referendum to cover the expense of the new emergency services building.
The trustees, building committee and numerous volunteer members of the R.S.P.& E. Fire Protection District then began an informational campaign consisting of open houses, attending many local meetings, delivering power point presentations and going door to door to inform the voters this project was not just a want, it was an actual need.
Then on November 2, 2010, the voters of the R.S.P.& E. Fire Protection District voted over 70% yes to approve a referendum for a $1.54 million dollar emergency services building. Finalizations were made to the original plans and on May 7, 2011, ground was broken and construction began.
Johnson Building Systems, Inc, Galesburg, continued to oversee the entire project throughout the summer and fall and on December 24, 2011, the firefighters and ambulance personnel moved their equipment into their new home.
Adkisson stated, "We have a great community. They have always supported a project where a need is shown, they have always supported their local fire departments and they have continued to support the fire district throughout this entire building project".
An open house in planned for January 22, 2012 from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. with a dedication ceremony to commence at 2:00 p.m.
With limited parking at their current facility, people attending the open house and dedication ceremony are asked to park at the Monmouth/Roseville Jr. High School located at 200 East Gossett Street in Roseville and a shuttle bus provided with cooperation by the Monmouth/Roseville School District will be utilized to transport people back and forth during the afternoon.
Adkisson stated, "We have had a lot of interest throughout the year and look forward to showing people what their new emergency services building looks like inside."
The R.S.P.& E. Fire Protection District provides fire protection and emergency rescue to residents throughout Southern Warren County and has Fire Stations located in Roseville, Smithshire and Swan Creek.